March was ushered in with the biggest and for most of the area the only signifcant snowstorm of the 2008-2009 season. A complex and deep surface and upper-level system brought rain to much of the area late 28 February, which changed over to snow in the western portion of the region. A secondary low pressure area tracked over the Carolinas to the Virginia coast early on March 1, allowing all areas to eventually change over to snow. Snow totals ranged from less than an inch in the far west to over 12 inches in parts of the piedmont. There were reports of trees down and power outages in portions of Campbell, Amherst, and Appomattox counties with up to 14 inches of snow reported near Huddleston in Bedford County. The 10 inches that fell at Lynchburg was the highest 1-day amount since February, 1996.

Event Narrative

Snowfall of 5 to 9 inches across the county caused numerous traffic accidents and closed schools for several days.